Blackhawks fire assistant coach

The Chicago Blackhawks have fired assistant coach Mike Kitchen. Kitchen, a 61-year-old native of Newmarket, Ont., joined coach Joel Quenneville’s staff in July 2010. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. General manager Stan

Bowman says in a release they “believe this decision is best for our organization moving forward.” The Blackhawks won the Central Division this season with a 50-23-9 record, finishing with the most points in the Western Conference. But they were swept by Nashville in the first round of the NHL playoffs, managing just three goals in the series.